PEANUT CARAMEL SUNDAES FROM “N’ICE CREAM”

July 6th, 2016

pin it!pin it!pin it!pin it!pin it!
Did everyone have a great holiday weekend? Ours was totally relaxed and just right. Lots of vegetables and watermelon in the mix, and just a smidgin’ of gettin’er done in terms of outside work. We generally have to stay home on “fireworks holiday” nights because our dog is terrified of them, so this comic rings especially true. I know that this is an issue for a lot of families, and seeing “Lost Dog” signs in my neighbourhood after a holiday weekend always gives me a heavy heart. I know for sure that my girl just isn’t herself when she hears those booms, so we do everything we can to make her comfortable. I’ve kept my eye on those thundershirts as an option for a while, too.

Aside from the regular snuggles, treats, toys, antlers, playtime, and walks (our girl is spoooooiled–I think a few of you can relate haha), I like to give her something with peanut butter when she’s been really good or when I know she’s gonna have a tough day. As soon as I slide the lid off of a jar of PB (which is often cuz PB is life), she comes prancing into the kitchen, making her silly little grunt noises the whole way.

When I was flipping through my copy of N’ICE CREAM: 80+ Recipes for Healthy Homemade Vegan Ice Creams, my eye went right to this sundae for two reasons: 1) PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL, GUYS. And 2) No ice cream maker required. I have a lot of childhood nostalgia surrounding sundaes and the thought of this minimal ingredient, super quick treat got me to work so fast. I also had to go all the way and make some cake crumble from the toppings section of the book. But the best part is that I could give my little furry pal a few mouthfuls on the side (minus the cacao nibs you can see in a couple photos)–anything to make her happy ;)

I really love this book by Tuulia and Virpi though (amazing Instagram page with great quotes about ice cream if you’re interested in seeing more). As if a book of all vegan and healthy ice cream wasn’t enough temptation for me, the photos are so enticing. They’re all dreamy light, just-right ice cream drips, and perfectly-imperfect styling to a tee. Some other recipes from the book that I’ve been eyeing up: the choco-vanilla bomb, the $5 milkshake (anything with a Pulp Fiction reference is thumbs up), strawberry basil creamsicles, white chocolate sauce, raw chocolate-covered cashew ice cream, and the dreamy blackberry ice cream cake.

All of their treats are made with beautiful whole foods like bananas, avocados, coconut cream, whole nuts, vanilla, dates, maple syrup, spices, and herbs. I think my favourite aspect is just how simple the recipes really are. I have a tendency to over-complicate things, especially with dessert. So the beautiful simplicity here is really striking. And! There’s instructions for those of us without an ice cream maker throughout. Sweet summer bliss with a happy belly at the end of it has got to be heaven on earth :)

Make the crumble: Combine the nuts, dates, ground vanilla, vanilla extract, sea salt, and maple syrup in a blender. Blend on high until you have a moist, crumbly mixture. Set aside.

Make the caramel: In a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the peanut butter, maple syrup, plant-based milk, sea salt, and lemon juice. Once you have a smooth sauce, set aside.

Make the ice cream: Rinse out the blender pitcher. Open the can of coconut milk and scoop the top layer of cream, being careful to avoid the water at the bottom of the can. Transfer the coconut cream to the blender. Add the frozen bananas, vanilla, maple syrup, sea salt, and lemon juice to the blender as well. Blend the mixture on high, using a tamper to push the mixture down into the blades. Once you have a smooth mixture, stop the motor.

At this point, I had to freeze my ice cream for a good 45 minutes, stirring it up every 15 minutes. Once you have that slightly firm/soft-serve like texture, serve the ice cream with the peanut butter caramel and vanilla cake crumble.

This looks insanely delicious and I will definitely be making it. That (slightly) healthier peanut butter caramel sounds to die for – peanut butter is my absolute favourite breakfast topping! Love the photos of the dog too. Super cute!ReplyCancel

She is the sweetest pup ever and I love my mental picture of the three of you all snuggled up during the fireworks! The book is bomb and I have my eyes on the white chocolate sauce for the weekend! Ah, gorgeous as ever, Laura!ReplyCancel

I do love her nice cream and I love your twist on it. That picture of your dog licking the spoon just kills me. What a cutie. Thanks for posting this recipe. I’m always on the prowl for healthy alternatives of classic faves. Have a good one!ReplyCancel

This looks so amazing! I also have a nice cream recipe in the pipeline and I realize just now how amazing that recipe would be with this peanut butter caramel! Gonna try it out tonight when I eat the leftovers <3
I HAVE to get my hands on this book asap. Have seen some many incredible recipes from it around the blogosphere already, and it really feels like a must-have this summer.
So nice to have a little pal in the kitchen licking the spoons as well ;-) <3 I have to show these photos to my dog crazy girlfriend, she's gonna die :'D (and make us get a dog asap).
Sounds like you're having a super relaxed summer so far! I hope it continues in that vibe.
xo AgnesReplyCancel

I saw you teasing this on Twitter and I’m SO happy you posted it, YEASSSS!! This is my dream sundae and I would just plop extra of that topping on there, plz and thank you. Also, Cleo is the cutest! Our cat hates the fireworks so I totally understand, fur babies are the best :)ReplyCancel

Would you believe that I came here half for the recipe, half for the shots of the pup? ;) Cleo is just the cutest!! I bet she loved this ice cream, it looks delicious for doggies and humans ;)ReplyCancel

HOLY MOLY!! Is there anything better than being able to eat ice cream and have it actually be GOOD for you!

Love that this recipe doesn’t require a ice cream maker (I think buying one would be like opening pandoras box), and it’s pretty much all the ingredients I can put into a smoothie, which means that it’s healthy. I am sure of it! Thank you for sharing… making tonight.

Isn’t this book the bees knees!? Drooling like a fool over here while looking at your mega dreamy photos Laura! This combo of the crumble + pb is magic. Glad you two had a chill weekend and that your pup was okay! What a cutie. Thanks for the little link to my n’ice cream bomb :) reminded me I need to make it again stat! After I try this rendition too. Happy instant ice cream making girl! It really is life. xxReplyCancel

I can’t wait to put my hands on their book! Your shots are stunning as usual <3ReplyCancel

Sherry06/07/2016 - 9:29 pm

Lovely as always, Laura! I’ve been seeing the new-ish N’Ice Cream book cropping up around the interwebs too … it’s great to get your take on it! Thank you.
How would you say the texture of this banana-coconut milk blend compares to the banana-cashew blend used for Sarah B’s Chunky Monkey ice cream that you made a while ago? (I keep meaning to try that one, but haven’t gotten to it yet!) I notice it had a tiny touch of lemon too, presumably to help brighten those fatty flavours just a wee bit …ReplyCancel

THANK YOU Laura so much for your kind words! This by far the best post ever, I can’t get over of your dog enjoying the ice cream too, so cute! You really made my day, thank you again!! xo ❤️❤️ReplyCancel